Archive for: American League

There's no denying it: the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, home of the Oakland A's, is a relic - a grey hulking concrete behemoth in the middle of a parking lot. It's a a dump, but I found it a lovable dump, made bearable by the presence of actual baseball fans in the ballpark.

It's old, it's odd, it's quirky, it's a stone's throw from Disneyland and fits in perfectly with its surroundings. Angel Stadium is definitely one of the most interesting ballparks I have had the pleasure to visit. I was not expecting this of an older park stuck in the middle of a parking lot in Orange County.

We had given up finding something suitable and affordable, until I checked the Twins site just one more time. Twins fans are overly impressed; to a New York baseball fan, these were remarkably affordable. These are gorgeous - and this is the single game ticket stock, not Season Ticket stock! Beautiful.

As my significant other constantly reminds me, if the team's wearing grey uniforms, it's a road game, even if it takes us less time to get to the stadium in the Bronx than it takes us to get to our own ballpark.
The new Yankee Stadium looks beautiful on the outside. It also looks beautiful when you're sitting at your seat (for the most part - I will not go into the season ticket holder contretemps because I am not one). The park accurately reflects the identity of the team. You have zero doubt whatsoever whose stadium you are in. In terms of branding, they nail it. But in terms of creating a fan-friendly experience, in what's likely not a surprise to most people, they have a long way to go.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards has a legendary reputation that is entirely well-deserved. It's a downtown ballpark with convenient highway and transit access, and was the first to capture the old-time ballpark feel in a modern facility. It is a wonderful place to watch a baseball game, and has become an immediate favorite.

Fenway is billed as "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" and I guess it's easy as a NL fan to give it credit where it's due. I don't have to fight for tickets to Fenway on a regular basis, I don't have to sit in its tiny, cramped seats every week, and I don't have to deal with the drunken gauntlet to get to and from the ballpark.
I'm a big fan of the old ballparks. Fenway has managed to capture the best of both worlds: the old, original ballpark, upgraded within an inch of its life. The seats may be uncomfortable and you may be jockeying around poles to see the game on the field, but there are ample bathrooms, concessions and space to walk around.

Kaufmann Stadium is not one of those stadiums you’re supposed to have any special affinity for. It’s the home of the Royals, for heaven’s sake, who haven’t been a household name – even in Kansas City – for years. But it became a quirky favorite quickly.
[The Flickr set is here.]
Kaufmann is under massive construction. It was one of the earliest HOK ballparks, and they’re now expanding it by simply extending the existing design, putting in new seats, and adding additional seating sections (including the inevitable suites behind home plate). It’s an old stadium, but it’s got a wide open concourse just above field level.… [more]

I will qualify this review by saying that aside from the tour, the entire time we were in Arlington it was 100 degrees and I was a little bit dehydrated, despite having purchased a case of water when we landed in Houston. It’s just hotter than us New Yorkers ever, ever have to deal with. So if it is not as lengthy or detailed as other reviews, I apologize. For example, we didn’t make a point of entering the stadium from the home plate entrance. I can’t even tell you what it looks like. We just entered the closest entrance we found because we were hot, tired, thirsty and wanted to sit down.… [more]